From Sustainability To Integral Ecology: Curricular Innovation Through Service-Learning In Higher Education

Abstract

The socio-environmental crisis demands a profound transformation of higher education to cultivate professionals committed to sustainability and the care of our common home. This article analyzes the experience of an Ecuadorian university, which integrates the principles of Integral Ecology into its curriculum through a compulsory mission-oriented course using service-learning as its main pedagogical strategy. Methodologically, the study adopts a quantitative, cross-sectional, and descriptive design to assess the self-perception of six humanistic competencies among first-year students (n=913) based on PUCE’s competency model. The instrument, a survey whose validity and reliability were previously established, demonstrates excellent internal consistency (α= 0.97). Results reveal a significant weakness in the socio-environmental and political commitment dimension—the least developed among the transversal competencies that define the PUCE student profile. This finds a significant weakness in social, political, and environmental commitment, the least developed competency (only 64.85% self-perceive as "Always" or "Almost Always"), highlighting the urgent need for curricular intervention. In response to this gap, the university has integrated Integral Ecology into a mandatory core course. The pedagogical design utilizes the Service-Learning (SL) methodology to promote direct engagement with communities and develop ecological awareness, aiming to close the commitment gap identified. The article concludes that the curricular integration of Integral Ecology through experiential and community-based learning represents a viable institutional pathway to align higher education with global sustainability goals and to form professionals capable of addressing complex socio-environmental challenges.